I Thought That This Was Just a One Night Stand
by Scrollwork
Summary: After a night of comfort, Freddie and Carly must decide whether they are to be friends, more, or something else entirely.  Rated T for sensuality and mentions of sex, to be safe. Creddie.
1. Raining Tears

**I Thought That This Was Just a One-Night Stand-**

Chapter One: Raining Tears

The rain came down in sheets, as the city of Seattle huddled beneath a downy comforter of dark, grey, foreboding clouds.

Footsteps echoed in the stairwell, steps sloshing with wetness. Outside, the sky was murky, and dreary, pouring down droplets of water. The drops hit the ground, breaking apart, shattering into minuscule pieces. They splashed on the side-walk, wetting everything in their path. The figure moving up the steps was soaked to the bone, having trudged through the dark, wet, Seattle cityscape. The older steps creaked, revealing their position. The figure made it up to the floor desired. Light, nigh inaudible, footsteps proceeded down the corridor. The door came into view. Trying to be as silent as humanly possible, a hand grasped a doorknob. Hesitation set in. The grip lessened, the hand sliding away, fingers tracing the metal knob. The soft steps of sneakers moved from one side of the hallway to the other. Wet, and tired, from walking halfway across the city and up eight flights of stairs, a hand slowly rose, to rap gently on a door. The rapping gained in strength, becoming more heavy-handed. Shuffling was heard towards the door, and the entrance opened. Scratching the back of their head, the drowsy person blinked a few times in the dim-lit corridor.

He watched the small droplets slide down her cheeks. He did not know as to whether they were due to the storm that was raging, or the crying that was occurring outside. Her usually bright, clear, brown eyes were clouded as she stared at him through his doorway. Her wet hair clung to her, framing her face. He realised, that, even when she was completely dishevelled, she was still beautiful. It was not the time for that, he decided. He could only let out a whisper.

"Carly."

"Freddie."

"Wha—" She didn't let him finish, throwing herself at him. Grasping onto his shirt, she buried her face into his chest. He could do nothing, save for wrapping his arms around her, letting her soak him in rain and tears.

She sobbed, and sobbed, into his chest. She found it comforting to let it out unto him in such a way. As his shirt became drenched in tears, he tried to console her as best he could. He slid his hand up and down her back, reassuringly, feeling the dampness beneath it.

He whispered into her ear, "Come on, inside. I'll take care of you."

She nodded into his chest as he led her through the threshold, closing the door gently behind them. As he ushered her through the living room to his bedroom, he tried to quiet her crying. As it would awaken his mother, who would only make things more complicated with her meddling. Once he was able to safely guide her to his room, she quickly grabbed him, sobbing again into him. He sat her down on the bed best he could, getting her to only release him with the promise of return.

He came back with a towel, draping it over her shoulders, and telling her that he was about to gather some dry clothes. She quickly grabbed onto his sleeve, tugging it, to let him know that she didn't want him to go anywhere. With the sudden jolt, soft fabric, gently placed, slid off of her shoulders. Reluctantly, he sat back down next to her. "I should really—"

"Don't go," she cried. "I need you, now."

Looking into her teary eyes, he couldn't help but hold her once again. "Okay, I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

He held her to him, his arms wrapped around her, his body in lieu of the towel. She continued to soak his shirt, but complain he did not. She was cold, shivering, in his embrace. She set herself up in the crook of his neck, and he could feel how wet her hair was. The smell of her wafted to his nose. It was utterly beautiful. It was the smell of flowers, and the summer rain; a smell solely hers. He loved it. Maybe it was from the rain that night, it was possible, after all. She _had been_ caught in the storm. He looked down at her face, moving away the sparse strands of russet clinging to her cheek with his free hand. From that point on, the only things shadowing her face were the darkness of the night, and her own misery. He held her tight, hoping that she would soon speak. When she didn't, he knew that he had to say something. "Carly, what happened?"

She pulled away from him to look up into his eyes. "Griffin."

"Griffin?"

Her eyes began tearing up again, she huddled in his warmth. "Griffin."

A stern look reached Freddie's eyes. He had always been wary of Griffin. Especially with how Carly would fawn all over him. He was quite pleased when he had learnt about the bad boy's obsession with small, cuddly, stuffed animals. Unfortunately, Carly had grown to look past that supposed flaw that she saw in him, and chose to be with Griffin again, due to his being a bad boy in every other way possible. They quickly got together again, much to Freddie's chagrin. At first, he had assumed that it would be as every other relationship that she had. Short. The only problem was, that as time went on, he had become less and less confident in that fact. For several months, he had watched as Carly was swept off of her feet by Griffin, and the relationship became serious. Griffin kept up his rebellious ways, winning her heart. He would have sworn that she was already using his last name on homework. Jealousy was the best way to describe how he felt about them together. He didn't know what Griffin did, in keeping with his punk ways. Whatever it was that he did to her, he made her cry. Freddie would never forgive that, not as long as he lived.

"What did he do?" he asked darkly.

He held her in his arms, warm to the touch. She sniffled. "Griffin, he…"

"Tell me."

"He's… he's been cheating on me." She sniffled again.

"That jerk."

"I didn't even know."

He patted her shoulder. "That's okay."

"I should have known."

"There's no way that you could have known." He caressed her shoulder with his thumb. "Who is she?"

She looked up at him, fresh tears in her eyes. "There was more than one."

He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "I'm so sorry."

Carly closed her eyes once more, mirroring him. "There were so many of them. He was with them the entire time that we were together."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

Freddie's eyes popped open wide. "What?"

She pushed away from him. Pushed him back. "I said, '_No, you're not._'."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked in astonishment.

"Oh, come on, Freddie." Her hands were still against his chest. He could feel her fingernails barely digging into him. "You never wanted Griffin and I to be together. I could tell."

"But, that doesn't mean that I wanted him to cheat on you."

"How do I know that, huh? I saw how much you hated it when he was with me. I could tell. You hated him."

"But, I never wanted you to have your heart broken." He took her face into his hands, looking her straight in the eyes. "I swear. You've got to believe me."

She looked away from him. "I do."

"You don't sound convinced." He tilted her head back up to face him. "Look, Carly, I didn't like the guy, okay? You're right about that. I just didn't like him with you. I didn't think that he was the right guy for you, that's all. He was a bad guy… and I know that you like bad boys and all, but there's a reason that they call them 'bad boys'. That's because they're no good."

When she didn't look away, he continued, "I just want what's best for you. I'm your friend."

"Do you?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want what's good for me?"

"Of course," he responded, getting up from the bed. He still had her face cupped in his soft hands. "That's why I'm getting you some dry clothes. We need to get you out of those wet ones, before you get pneumonia."

She watched as he walked over to his dresser, rummaging in the dark for some suitable clothes. She herself stood from her position on the bed. Sliding off her small shoes and socks, she padded lightly, and silently, behind Freddie. All the while, slipping her shirt over her head.

Freddie stooped down, digging into his bottom drawer for something small enough to fit Carly. He wondered aloud to himself, "Hmm, maybe, this'll fit."

He failed to sense that anything was amiss. He definitely failed to notice the long-haired brunette behind him, tugging her jeans down her slim legs. Standing back up, he held the nightclothes to the moonlight. Pyjama top and bottoms. Galaxy wars, of course. Naturally, they were the manliest ones he had. He turned around in time to see something fly at his face. He let out a startled yelp, his eyes covered in something. Grasping at the fabric, he felt it soft, velvety, and lacy. He pulled the temporary blindfold away, to see that it was a small bra. He jolted.

"Carly! This isn't what it looks like! It's not mine!" He looked up from the lingerie to find his best friend pushing tiny, matching panties down her legs. Letting them pool at her feet. He slapped the bra back onto his eyes. "Ah! Carly!"

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"You're naked!" he almost screamed. Both, because she was nude in front of him, and due to the fact that one of his dreams had come true. The scream only stifled through fear that his mother would hear, coming over, and finding him in the current predicament.

"Shh," she quieted him, finger on his lips, "someone might hear you."

He wondered if she could read his mind.

"You can put my bra down, now." She watched him remove the silky garment from his face. "You can open your eyes, too."

Eyes shut tight, he shook his head vigorously. "Not until you put some clothes on."

"You said that I needed to get out of them."

His lids refused to budge. She rolled her eyes at him, smirking. Not that he could see.

"Freddie, look at me." She stepped back from him. "Please."

He slowly opened his eyes, inhaling deeply, as he cast his gaze upon her. She stood there, partially shaded in the darkness, the moonlight shining off of her bare skin. She was glowing. An angel in the shadows. To him, she was simply beautiful.

"Carly..."

"Yes?"

"You're beautiful."

She blushed in the pale light. "Really?"

"Yeah." Swallowing hard, he held out the folded clothes to her. "You should put these on."

"Why?" She stepped up to him, grabbing the pyjamas and tossing them to the side. "Haven't you ever dreamed of this?"

Dreamt of it? Maybe, she truly could read his mind.

She slid her arms around his neck. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Carly, you're on the rebound. You're not thinking straight."

"Your shirt is wet. We need to get you out of it, before you catch pneumonia." She tugged his shirt over his head. Freddie let her.

Maybe, he was the one not thinking straight.

"Carly..."

She looked up into his eyes. He began to become lost. "Don't you love me?"

"Of course, I do, but—"

"Please?" She tilted her head to the side, never breaking contact.

"Carly—"

She kissed him, sweet and chaste.

She pulled back, looking for a response. "For me?"

Sliding her arms once again around his neck, she clasped her fingers together. She kissed him again, that time longer, and he melted into her kiss. He was hers. He always was, and he always would be.

The night was a blur. It went by so fast. Neither were sure to remember it all. There were just flashes, fragments, of skin pressing against skin, lip suckling against neck, hand sliding against waist, and fingernail scrapping against back. A night they would barely remember, yet would never forget. There was panting, and heavy breathing. They could hear their names being called in the voice of the other. Flushing skin was hot to the touch, and the cold night was no longer so cold. Fingers stroked the lengths of backs, and there would be vague recollections of voices in hushed, throaty, moans, whispered into ears.

The morning sun peaked over the horizon, illuminating the Seattle cityscape. The dark clouds had long since departed, giving way to a new day. The morning dew formed and dripped off of the leaves of trees lining the street. The sun shed its light onto the damp pavement, beginning the process of drying the concrete. Early-morning birds were beginning to sing, to start off the day calling for mates. Sunlight calmly crept up the side of Bushwell Plaza. The light reached the eighth floor, peering through the curtains of a certain apartment. The fair yellow beams fell to reach a bed of brown, dishevelled hair. Stretching to touch a pair of closed eyes, it bade them open. Open, they did.

Stirring, moving, the figure awoke. A deep breath was taken in. Fingers were drawn over cotton sheets. A hand slid over something warm, soft, yet hard. The feeling was that of skin. Pushing themselves up, they brushed back long hair from brown eyes. Brown eyes looking down upon the young boy who took her in one night in which the rain poured. No, young man. He was a man, now. Carly watched him sleep for a bit. He lay there, in slumber, dreaming whatever dreams he dreamt. She watched him mouthing words. Whispering her name. She leant down, hair draping around them in the way of bruin curtains. Softly, she kissed him. His lips were warm, just as they had been the prior night. They had kept her warm throughout the night. The new dawn newly appointed to that task. Sitting back up, she looked down, only to realise that she were still nude. The slight chill of being away from him, evident on her uncovered chest. Sighing, she slipped out of the covers, feet touching the cold floor. Making her way around the she picked up her previously shed clothes. Picking up her bra, she smiled. _What a dork,_ she thought, hooking it back on, and adjusting the straps.

As quietly as she could, she put her outfit back together, piece by piece. Luckily, they were mostly dry. She ran her fingers through her hair, in an attempt to get the knots out. Pouting when she couldn't, she vowed to go at it with a proper brush when she got back to her apartment. With everything on save for her shoes, she took a glance back at Freddie, still somehow dozing in bed, and took hold of the doorknob. Slowly opening the door, she poked her head out and looked around. With the coast clear, she tip-toed across the living-room floor. Once she had reached the front door, she opened it,taking a quick check up and down the corridor. She heard footsteps, and a door closing in another area of the apartment. Frightened that it was Mrs. Benson, or worse yet, Freddie himself, she quickly, yet quietly, ushered herself out through the door, shutting it behind her. Making her way to her own door, she snuck into her apartment. Trying to avoid waking her brother, Spencer, she made it all the way to the third floor of the flat, where her bedroom was. Flopping down on her bed, she began trying to make sense of the prior night's happenings.

Freddie, at the moment, was awakened to a knocking on his door. He could hear that it was his mother, saying that breakfast would soon be ready. He opened his eyes to see the morning sun glaring through the windows. Taking a deep breath, he lay his right arm over his eyes. He let out a sigh, hating the mornings. He lay his other arm on his bare stomach, sheets resting at his hip. He realised that something was wrong; he usually wore a shirt whilst slumbering. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sat up in bed, attempting to get his bearings. He was still in his room, of that, he was sure. Getting up from his bed, he noticed that he was nude. He quickly wrapped his sheets around his waist. Sitting back down, he tried to remember the prior night. It did not take long. His mind drew back to the skin, the heat, the voices. _Her_ voice. He put a hand to his mouth.

"No way."

He couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. Was it? No, it was. He and Carly...

"Had sex." Dropping his hand from his mouth, he gripped the sheets on his lap firmly. "We had sex."

Looking down at his curled fingers, he flashed back to that night, fingers tightly grasped at sheets. Warm lips pressed against heated neck. His lips, her neck. He couldn't believe that it had happened. He remembered holding her, caressing her, feeling his hands slide up and down her back. He blushed at the recollection. He couldn't believe it. They actually did it. They made love. He soon remembered things, not everything, but many. He could vaguely remember what they did together, what he did to her, what she did to him. They expressed something that could only be expressed that way. He lay back in bed, breakfast could wait. He had much thinking to do. He watched the sunlight moving across the ceiling. He recalled running his hand through her hair that night. Her hair had since dried, and he realised, her smell wasn't due to the rain, after all.


	2. Sweetening Kisses

**A/N: Next chapter is now up.  
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**I also want to thank Sockstar for being the first to review. They get a gold star.**

**I also want to thank amy788, Angelic Guardian, sweetStarre123, mrmuscle, NaomilovesiCarly, and the anonymous reviewer that was 'hey'. Thank you, for reviewing.**

**I hope that you enjoy, and reviews are welcome. Thank you, for reading.**

* * *

><p><strong>I Thought That This Was Just a One-Night Stand-<strong>

Chapter Two: Sweetening Kisses

She hadn't seen Freddie in over a day. He never showed up the day after... they were together. Usually, he would show up at her apartment, trying to update the server, upgrade equipment, or less, and less so, flirt with her. He used to tell her that he would be her second husband, without a doubt in his eyes. Although, the day after, he wasn't there. To her, it seemed as though, it was due to her. She was the reason that he hadn't shown up the other day. Sam, her blonde best friend, had slept in the entire day. She was sure to see Sam that day, since it was Monday, but what of Freddie? She shook it out of her mind. Putting on a brave front, she picked up her school bag, slinging it over her shoulder. Making her way down the stairs, she walked over to the front door.

She called over her shoulder, as she opened said door, "Spencer, I'm off to school!"

"Okay!" yelled the older of the Shays, her brother, Spencer. "Have fun!"

"Okay!" she called back, then whispered to herself, "I guess."

Heading off to school, she closed the door behind her. She didn't know what would lay ahead in the day to come.

When she made her way through the front doors of Ridgeway, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were students walking around, getting ready for a new week of teachers, boring lectures, and homework. She walked over to her locker, and entered the combination in the dial. Opening up her locker, she put the books that she needed for the day into her bag. Familiar footsteps could be heard coming up to the group of lockers where she was situated. The opening of a locker by hers, and the sound of ham being chewed, only cemented the identity of who it would be. Closing her locker, Carly looked upon her best, blonde, friend.

"Yo, Carls, what's up?" she asked, taking another bite of a slice of ham.

"Hey, Sam. Nothing much, you?" She slung her bag onto her shoulder.

"Oh, nothing, just another day, another dollar."

She looked at her blonde counterpart curiously. "But, you don't get paid to go to school."

Sam looked up to the corner, considering the statement. She looked back at her brunette counterpart. "Remind me, again, why exactly do I come to this prison?"

Carly laughed. "So you can go to a good college. Maybe with me, and even..." She stopped momentarily. "Freddie."

Sam looked at her sullen expression with concern. "Carlotta, you all right?"

Snapping out of her reverie, she gave her a comforting smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You didn't look so fine a second ago, when you mentioned Frednub."

"It's fine.

Sam put a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. "You sure? The nub didn't do anything to you, right?"

"No," Carly responded, placing a hand on her friend's. "He didn't do anything to me."

Images of her panting, and his light kisses down her body flashed through her memory. _I did something to him,_ she thought, as the warning bell rang.

"Well, better get going, don't want to get detention again. Later, Carls." Sam waved to her, running up the stairs.

"See you." She waved back.

She looked around, yet still did not see Freddie. Where was he? She took a deep breath, letting out a sigh of frustration. She shut her locker, shouldering her bag, and trudged off to class.

Class that day was far from pleasant, and Carly was just not herself. She was usually the best in the class, but she was just off her game the entire morning. She didn't know what to do with herself, as she awaited Freddie to show his face at school. She was worried about him. Why wouldn't he show up? Was he embarrassed? He shouldn't have been, after all, it was what he had wanted for years. He should have been jumping off the walls, giving everyone high-fives, writing about it in his diary. _Unless,_ she pondered, _Unless... it wasn't what he thought that it would be._ What if... it wasn't any good? What if she had been bad in bed? She didn't really have much experience when it came down to sex. Maybe it showed. Was it possible that he didn't want to show his face, because he didn't want to tell her how bad she was? That she ruined his dreams of a perfect night? Her head drooped in shame. She didn't live up to the fantasy. She continued to trudge through class.

Later that day, at lunch, she saw him walking through the cafeteria. He was looking for a place to sit. When he saw her, she smiled at him. He quickly turned away, sitting down by himself in the corner. She got up from her seat, with the curious stares of Sam, pardoned herself, and traversed across the room to stand by a stooping Freddie. Sam watched her by the nub.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked, gesturing to the chair by him.

"Umm, yeah, actually, it is."

Not buying it for a moment, she sat down anyway. "Sure, it is."

Startled, he exclaimed at her, "Don't you care about privacy?"

"I care about 'us'." She began eating again.

Freddie, on the other hand, wasn't too keen on his lunch at that moment. "Carly, I don't feel like talking, right now."

"Freddie, we need to talk. About us."

"No, nothing happened."

"Something happened."

"It was a mistake." His hand tightened into a fist.

"No," She placed her hand on top of his. "it was beautiful."

"I took advantage of you."

She looked away for a moment. "No, _I_ took advantage of _you_."

He looked up from his lunch. "What?"

She looked him in the eye, a sincere expression on her face. "I came in, crying, and talked you into sleeping with me. It wasn't right. You tried to stop me, and I still pushed myself onto you. I'm sorry."

Freddie looked away that time. "I could have said 'no'."

She smiled at him. "Yeah, right."

"I could have," he said defensively.

"Not when I give you 'The Look'."

Grumbling, he took a deep breath. "I don't stand a chance, when you do 'The Look'."

She silently agreed, and there was an uncomfortable silence that permeated the air. She was sorry for that which she thought she was guilty. She would do whatever it took to right it. She looked up at him still not eating his food. She wanted to say something, anything, to him, yet she couldn't come up with the words. Finally, after an age of silence, she spoke up.

"Freddie, it's not your fault. I wanted it."

He looked at her, wonder evident in his eyes. "Then, what does that make us?"

"What?"

"What are we?" He gestured between the two of them. "Are we going out, was that a one-time thing? What?"

"I..." She looked into her lap. "I don't know."

"Well, if _you_ don't know, how am _I_ supposed to know?"

"Freddie." She took his hand in hers. "We're friends, 'til the end. No matter what, right?"

"Yeah," he agreed, not sure where it was all going.

"Then we're friends, even after. Just... friends with benefits."

"Friends... with benefits?"

"You know, maybe we could, every once in a while..." She motioned with her hands.

"Carly!" he whispered.

"Relax." She giggled. "It's not a big deal. Just friends, with a little extra. You okay with that?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "It just seems so weird, after how long we've known each other."

"We'll go slow, until I'm experienced enough."

"What was that last part?" Freddie asked, curious.

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"Okay."

"I'm going to go back to Sam, if you want to join us..."

He waved her off. "No, you go ahead."

She bid him a fond farewell, leaving him be, to a lunch that was to remain, unbeknownst to her, untouched. She headed back to her curly-locked friend, settling herself down next to her. The blonde gave her a puzzled look.

"What was all that about?" she asked, wondering.

"Nothing, it was nothing."

"Nothing, my Fatcake. What is Freddifur doing over there? Why did you have to go talk to him? What was that about?" She took another bite of her sandwich. Speaking with a mouthful of ham. "What's going on?"

Taking a moment to sigh, Carly looked at her other best friend. "Okay, I'll tell you, but don't freak."

"I'll ankle swear if you want."

Looking her friend directly in the eyes, she laid out the the truth. "The other day, Freddie and I... well, we did it."

"Did it?" Sam swallowed her bite.

"Did it, did it."

Sam had to take a drink of her milk, to stop from choking. "Why?"

"Why?"

"Yeah, why? With the nub?" She was emphatic.

"I don't know, I just needed someone, that's all. That night, when Griffin told me he cheated on me, and dumped me, I just needed someone. I needed someone to be there for me. That's all."

"Holy chiz." Sam then put down her sandwich, which could only mean that things were serious. "This is huge."

"It's not that big a deal."

"Not that big a deal!" the blonde yelled, jumping up, forcing Carly to pull her back down and quiet her, to the strange stares of the other students. "Of course, it's a big deal. You slept with Fredwad!"

"I know, I just don't want the entire school to find out, okay?"

"I thought that the dork would have told everyone. Isn't being with you the thing he's wanted since, forever? I mean, at least he would've written something in his diary."

Carly sighed. "That's just the thing. We aren't together."

"You're not?" She looked at her friend, surprised.

"Of course, not. I had just broken up with Griffin."

"Right. Rebound."

"No," Carly waved her off. "nothing like that. I just needed some... comfort, that's all."

"Ah, I see," Sam nodded knowingly. "Booty call, I get it."

"It was nothing like that!" It was Carly's turn to yell. At seeing the stares from around the room, she waved, laughing a little. "Sorry, everyone. Please go back to enjoying your tater tots."

Sitting down, she grabbed Sam by the shoulders. "Freddie and I are just friends, with benefits, now. Nothing more than that, nothing less."

"I thought it'd be a 'finally got together after all these years' kind of thing."

"No," She blushed. "nothing that simple. Just needed him there, that's all."

"Uh, huh, okay. How long is this going to go on?"

"I don't know. Just... until things start making sense."

"Question is, what'll happen to the nerd?" Sam asked, knowing the one thing Carly wanted to avoid.

…

The rest of the day passed by without injury. Carly and Freddie didn't share any classes that semester, so there were no awkward moments. The day, however, was still frustrating for a certain technical producer. Freddie was confused. He was utterly confused. He merely wondered to himself, where everything was going with Carly. What was that she wanted? She said that they would be friends, with benefits. What exactly did that mean? How much would be 'friends', and how much would be 'benefits'? He had so many questions in his mind, that he couldn't concentrate on a single subject that day. He knew that he had to talk to her again, and it needed to be soon. Once classes got out, he rushed over to her locker, hoping to catch up to her. He ran down the stairs in the main hall, leaping over the bottom few steps as he went along. Spying her about to close her door, he slid to a stop next to her, sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. She turned to greet him, a small smile, just for him, on her face.

Trying his best to compose himself, he took a few deep gasps of air to slow his breathing. "Hey, Carly, what's up?"

She giggled at him. "'What's up'? What's up with you? You're out of breath."

"No, I'm not." Panting, he adjusted the collar of his polo shirt.

Carly shook her head disapprovingly. "You need to work out."

"I do work out, you just never see it." He flexed his right arm, pointing at the bulge of muscle hidden beneath his sleeve.

"Uh, huh, then try beating Sam at arm wrestling, why don't you?"

"Yeah, right, Bigfoot couldn't beat Sam in arm wrestling, what chance do I have?"

"Heh, I guess you're right.

"Wait, where's Sam?"

"She was heading home, later. Had to talk with Principal Franklin."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense."

"Anyways, Carly, I'm not here to talk to you about Sam. I want to talk about us."

"I thought, that was what we already talked about at lunch."

"No, we need to talk about what 'friends with benefits' means."

"What it means?"

"Yeah," he answered, putting his hands in his pockets. "How far does it go?"

"Um..."

He took a breath. "Let's talk about it in the car, I'll take you home."

She nodded in agreement. "Okay."

"Let's go."

Pulling out his keys, he started to make his way to the parking lot. Shutting her locker, she followed suit. They walked out the front doors of Ridgeway, going over to a silver Prius. Freddie opened the door for her. She thanked him, settling into the seat. He went over to the driver's side, getting in and placing the key into the ignition. The Prius started up with an obvious sound, tell-tale of its hybrid design. Carly smiled. Freddie had begged his mother for a sports car, unfortunately for him, an hour of screaming that he would kill himself, and he had settled with the electric car. He so wanted to be cool, and be popular. Though, he was merely the technical producer for iCarly. Her technical producer. The car whirred out of the parking lot, strolling slowly down the street, towards Bushwell plaza. The entire way, the girl with long hair was silent. Freddie awaited a word from her, but as the sun shown through the window to highlight her face in an other-worldly glow, he decided to take the chance to speak.

"Carly, we need to talk about this."

She stayed silent, and they stopped at a traffic signal. He sighed.

"Carly, you can't keep quiet. I need to know exactly what we are." He gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Fine. I talk, you listen."

She said nothing, as the car slowly rode down the way.

Freddie took a deep breath. "I don't know if you're confused, or anything, but I am. I know that you said that we were friends with benefits, but where do we draw the line? What exactly am I supposed to be for you? Just a temporary boyfriend? Or not even that? I, for sure, don't know. I, for sure, know that I've been in love with you since the first time that I met you. That's something that hasn't changed. You and I haven't done anything since the taco truck incident. You've never mentioned it since. Then, one night, you show up on my doorstep, puddle around your feet, telling me that griffin dumped you, the next thing I know, we sleep together. What am I supposed to think?"

The car pulled up to Bushwell Plaza, sliding into a parking space. They both got out of the car without a single word. They got into the lift at the lobby, riding up to the eighth floor. Carly, as silent as when she got into the car in the first place. They made their way to the corridor in which their doors resided. Stopping in front of their respective doors, they confronted each other. Carly was deep in contemplation over what to say to the boy facing her.

"Freddie, I just need you to be the guy that's always there for me. I need you to be the guy that's there to catch me when I fall. No matter what I need." She went up to him, softly kissing his pink lips. He realised that her kisses got sweeter each time. She pulled away from him, her forefinger and thumb cradling his chin. She gave him her smile. She spoke simply, "I need you to be... you."

He laughed lightly at her. He said, smiling, "I never could say no to you." Taking her hand from his chin, and kissing it, he smiled again. "Whatever it is you need, I swear I'll be there for you. Just like always. I swear."

"That's why I love you, Freddie." She bade him farewell. Opening her door, she walked in, giving him one last look. "Smoothies, tomorrow? With Sam?"

"Absolutely, I'll be there." He was still smiling.

"Okay, see you later." She closed the door, no longer gracing him with her angelic presence.

Left all alone in the hallway, he touched his fingers to his lips, now red, and tasting of piña colada. The kiss had made his lips sweet. "I'll be there for you, Carly Shay, no matter what."

He could only stare at the door where she was once standing. The girl that he was in love with.

"I swear."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Some of you may be wondering if Carly is just using Freddie, and why Freddie would agree to the proposition. These are things that will be brought up later in the story. The story is planned for some thirteen chapters, so things shall be paced accordingly. Carly will wonder about if she's just using Freddie, and Freddie has his own reasons for accepting the deal. Please remember, that the second chapter is only the next day after Carly found out about Griffin, and she is still in an emotionally vulnerable state. It is still early in the story.**

**This was intended to be a drama, so it won't be an easy road for the two. In the end, it is still a Creddie story.**

**So, I ask of you, please do not hate Carly. She's very confused at the moment.**


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